Skins On Sale

Amar,

I hope you are the same Amar Jaleel my friend Nasar in New Jersey speaks so highly off. In any case, welcome to Chowk.

Rafi Aamer

Nice nice!

A little touch of Manto.

A really nice story.

Amar Sahib, Welcome to Chowk. I would like to apologise for one aspect of this place in advance, before any mud slinging catches you unawares-

For every sort of skin there are many passionate admirers on the message boards of Chowk.

To complicate matters, in many cases the skin seems visible only to the ones seeing and not the ones supposedly wearing it.

It naturally follows that regardless of what skin one wears there is someone else here seemingly eager to rip it off, or rather replace it with one that suits the viewer’s perspective!

Here, anyone talking of shared cultures or of even reaching out to the sane ones across any divide will in someone’s eyes be wearing the skin of a traitor- without his or her even realizing it!

Similarly, anyone talking of merely having some honourable space for his or her sub-culture within one`s own country will, to some, be seen as wearing the skin of a separatist!

However, there is more to Chowk than all the misused freedom on its message boards. I hope you will stay around to offer more such beautiful stories, and manage to successfully resist seeing your own skin through the filters of others (and also not let anyone get under it :-))

Thank you again and may your tribe only grow!

Re: # 3, Muhiyal,

I don`t know for sure but the language suggests that he must be the same Amar Jaleel of Dawn who writes beautiful stories and thought provoking articles in Dawn`s magazine section. I have read many of them. `Meeting to remember` published last month was unforgettable and the current one, about Veru, is good too. We, at Chowk, must applaud him more enthusiastically.

I will be pleased if the writer of this story confirms my assumption. Or, correct me if I am wrong. In any case this one was good too.

Samar

Re: # 3, Muhiyal,

I don`t know for sure but the language suggests that he must be the same Amar Jaleel of Dawn who writes beautiful stories and thought provoking articles in Dawn`s magazine section. I have read many of them. `Meeting to remember` published last month was unforgettable and the current one, about Veru, is good too. We, at Chowk, must applaud him more enthusiastically.

I will be pleased if the writer of this story confirms my assumption. Or, correct me if I am wrong. In any case this one was good too.

Samar

Re: # 3, Muhiyal,

I don`t know for sure but the language suggests that he must be the same Amar Jaleel of Dawn who writes beautiful stories and thought provoking articles in Dawn`s magazine section. I have read many of them. `Meeting to remember` published last month was unforgettable and the current one, about Veru, is good too. We, at Chowk, must applaud him more enthusiastically.

I will be pleased if the writer of this story confirms my assumption. Or, correct me if I am wrong. In any case this one was good too.

Samar

Re: # 3, Muhiyal,

I don`t know for sure but the language suggests that he must be the same Amar Jaleel of Dawn who writes beautiful stories and thought provoking articles in Dawn`s magazine section. I have read many of them. `Meeting to remember` published last month was unforgettable and the current one, about Veru, is good too. We, at Chowk, must applaud him more enthusiastically.

I will be pleased if the writer of this story confirms my assumption. Or, correct me if I am wrong. In any case this one was good too.

Samar

Re: # 7
Samar,

I have a feeling that it’s the same Amar Jaleel. If the author doesn’t confirm, I might be able to in few days because in a few days, I’m scheduled to meet the Amar Jaleel you are talking about. He is in USA for a few weeks (most probably to attend SANA convention in Orlando).

Rafi Aamer

Re: #7

Samar,

Thanks for pointing me to those links! They were all good reads. I concur with Hush #2- the quality of satire and his ability to question/bring out the ridiculous in a lot of routinely accepted things are no less than Manto`s. I hope I`m wrong here, but the Sufi-like wisdom that comes through at places does suggest a person who has been through lots of difficult phases and reflected extensively on them. In any case, I do hope there is no similarity when it comes to the treatment Manto got from some quarters!

Rafi #8,

When you get to meet him, please do tell him of his fan club at Chowk!

good one...reminds me of manto...i loved the cash crop part..though adams explaining couldve been done slightly more subtly

good one...reminds me of manto...i loved the cash crop part..though adams explaining couldve been done slightly more subtly